Adjustable hinge plate assembly



June 26, 1956 Y A. c. SlNCLAlR 2,751,623

ADJUSTABLE HINGE PLATE ASSEMBLY Original Filed April 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A/f/"e a C. dV/vc/a/r INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY June 1956 A. c. SINCLAIR ADJUSTABLE HINGE PLATE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April 2, 1953 INVENTOR. %M ALL! ATTORNEY ADJUSTABLE HINGE PLATE ASSEMBLY Alfred C. Sinclair, Houston, Tex., assignor to Anderson,

Clayton & Co., Houston, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Original application April 2, 1953, Serial No. 346,425, now Patent No. 2,690,115, dated September 28, 1954. Divided and this application May 14, 1954, Serial No. 429,758

6 Claims. (Cl. 16-130) The present invention relates to an adjustable hinge plate assembly. This application is a division of application Serial No. 346,425, filed April 2, 1953, now Patent No. 2,690,115 issued September 28, 1954.

It is a major object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hinge plate assembly of exceedingly simplified construction in which the hinge brackets are slidably mounted but may be positively locked in adjusted position in the hinge plate.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an adjustable hinge plate assembly in which the hinge brackets are slidably mounted on the hinge plates by means of interlocking slots and projections and includes a locking rod which may be rotated a portion of a turn to permit sliding of the brackets to another adjusted position and there rotated to positively lock the hinge brackets with respect to the hinge plate.

Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a simplified hinge plate assembly of the character mentioned which may be used in combination with a cotton compress to permit adjustment easily and readily from standard to high-density compression or vice versa.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a following description of an example constructed in accordance with the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, Where like character references designate like parts throughout the several views, and where Figure l is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the lower portion of a compress, such as illustrated in Patent No. 2,690,115 previously mentioned, and illustrates one use of the hinge plate assembly of the present invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged, side elevation, partly in section, view of the hinge assembly of the present invention adjustably mounting a side door of a compress in a position to compress high-density bales of cotton,

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, but illustrates the hinge assembly in an adjusted position for compressing standard-density bales of cotton,

Figure 4 is a sectional side view of movable interfitting hinge brackets and stationary hinge plates constructed according to the invention,

Figure 5 is a front view taken along the line 55 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional, fragmentary view, taken along the line 66 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrates a detent means to maintain the locking rod in position.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figure l, the reference numeral 10, generally designates the lower portion of a standard high-densityWebb cotton compress utilizing the hinge assembly of the present invention. The compress 10 includes a lower platen 12 which is movable upwardly and an upper fixed platen 14 and various structural and supporting members for. the

mted States Patent (3 'ice compress, all generally indicated by the reference numeral 16.

A main piston and cylinder arrangement, not shown, moves the lower platen 12 upwardly toward the upper platen 14 to compress bales of cotton placed thereinbetween.

ln high-density compresses, a pair of side doors 20 are hingedly secured proximate the upper portion of the lower platen 12, which doors are actuated by the side-door piston and cylinder assemblies generally indicated by the reference numeral 22 by means of the side-door lifting links 24 pivotally connected to the blades 26, which in turn are pivotally connected at their inner ends to the side doors 20 and at their outer ends to the side-door struts 28, which in turn are connected by the heel pins 34) to the heel pin saddles 32. The links 24, blades 26 and struts 28 comprise in effect toggles, and, in practice, the blades 26 and struts 28 should not be moved to a position beyond dead center because of the difilculty encountered in moving them back to retract the side doors 20.

For ease of illustration, the side doors 20 and associated parts on the right hand of Figure 1 are illustrated in a compressing position; whereas, the side door 20 and associated parts on the left-hand side of this figure are illustrated in a retracted or lowered position. It is understood, of course, that the side doors 20 work in unison, that is, both side doors will be in a lowered or compressing position in actual operation.

The batter braces 36a are provided and are secured to the compress 10, as illustrated, and the heel pin saddles 32, as are the side rods 38 which extend around the ends of the compress. Thus, as the side doors 20 are swung into compressing position, lines of force are provided downwardly and outwardly of the blades 26 and struts 28 and the batter braces 36 and tie rods 38 provide required support. While only one end of the compress is illustrated, this arrangement of parts is provided on the other end of the compress in the usual manner.

The operation and arrangement of parts in the Webb cotton compress are well known to the art, constitute no part of the present invention, and, accordingly, no further description thereof is deemed necessary.

As best seen in Figures 1 and 3, what may be called a standard channel plate 40a is provided on the lower platen 12, which channel plate is of such size that it may move upwardly between the side doors 20 when they are in compressing or substantially vertical position. What may be called a high-density channel plate 40b, see Figure 2, is placed on the lower platen 12 and of such "a' width that it moves upwardly within the doors 2% when they are in compressing position or vertical position for compressing high-density bales. It is noted that other than a difference in the widths of the channel plates 43a and 49b that these channel plates are similar and that substantially the same amount of space is provided between the upper surface of each of these channel plates and the lower surface of the upper platen 14. Thus, the full benefit of the stroke of the compress is obtained in compressing standard-density bales as well as in cornpressing high-density bales which, heretofore, was not possible.

In order that the side doors 20 may be used in compressing standard-density bales as well as high-density bales, the adjustable hinge plate assemblies of the present invention are provided to hingedly and adjustably posi- 3 tially stationary hinge plates 46, which are in turn secured to the bed plates 48.

Referring now to Figure 4, the hinge plates 46 may be secured to the bed plates'48- in any suitable manner, such as by the bolts 50. The hinge brackets 44 are slidablysecured in the hinge plates 46. This may be accomplished by providing the lower portion of the hinge brackets 44 in the form of inverted Ts 52 which fit in the laterally-extending T-slots 54 formed in the hinge plates 46, as best seen in Figure 6. Thus, the lower portions of the hinge brackets 44 slidably interfit in the hinge plates 46 by means of the interfitting portions 52 and 54.

Means are provided to lock the hinge brackets 44 in adjusted position in the hinge plates 46 and, for this purpose, the circular arcuate recesses 56 are provided in the upper surface of the hinge plates 4-6, which recesses 56 receive the locking rod 58. The hinge brackets 44 have the circular apertures 60 through which the locking rod 58 extends.

As best seen in Figure 5, the locking rod 58 is substantially round in cross-section, but has the flats 62 spaced intermediate each hinge bracket 44 so that by rotating the locking rod 58 in the position illustrated in Figure 6 the hinge brackets 44 may be moved in the T-slots 54 for the purpose of adjusting their position and thereby the position of the side doors 20. By rotating the locking rod 60 half a turn when the rod is adjacent the circular arcuate recesses 56, the hinge brackets 44 are locked in place in the hinge plates 46. To facilitate turning the locking bar 58 a conventional nut 64 may be provided at its ends so that a suitable wrench, not shown, may be secured thereto and rotated to rotate the locking bar 58.

In order that the locking bar 58 may be properly aligned with respect to the hinge brackets 44 and the hinge plate 46 detent means are provided in one or more of the hinges 44 and at cooperating places in the locking bar 58. A satisfactory detent means is illustrated in Figure 6 which illustrates the ball 66 pressed into position by the compression spring 68 in the opening 70 formed in the adjustable hinge bracket 44 and held in position by means of the threaded pin 72. As illustrated, the ball 66 is pressed into a circumferential recess 74 in the locking rod 58, the recess being better illustrated in Figure 5. Preferably, the detent means should prevent unintentional longitudinal and rotational movement of the locking bar, and to prevent rotational movement, the circumferential recess 74 should be further recessed at 75. Any satisfactory detent arrangement may be utilized.

Thus, the locking rod 58 is releasably held and maintained longitudinally and. rotationally with respect to the adjustable hinge brackets 44 and the hinge plates 46 by means of suitable detent means, which may be provided at one or more places where the locking rod 58 extends through the hinge brackets 44.

In operation, assuming that high-density bales of cotton are to be compressed, the side-door hinge brackets 44 will be in the position illustrated in Figure 2. The looselyginned bales are placed on the lower channel member and first, as usual, the side doors compress the sides of the bale of cotton, the lower platen 12 then being raised and the bale of cotton compressed between the upper and lower platens. The side doors are then retracted and metal straps are placed about the bales in the usual manner, the lower platen 12 thenbeing lowered and the bale rolled out of the compress and the next looselyginned bale rolled into place. Due to the fact that the side doors move upwardly and inwardly, the looselyginned bale of cotton is automatically centered in the compress to provide a centralization of the upward thrust of the lower platen 12 as it moves upwardly.

If it is desired to compress standard-density bales of cotton, the locking bolt 58 may be rotated half of a turn by applying a wrenchto the nut 64, and the locking bolt 56 and adjustable hinge brackets 44 slid along the tops of the hinge plates 46' until the locking bolt is over the next set of longitudinally-aligned recesses 56, at which point the locking bar may be rotated half of a turn to move the rounded portions of the locking bar into the recess and thereby lock the adjustable hinge brackets 44 in the position illustrated in Figures 1' and 3. The highdensity channel plate 40b is removed and the standarddensity channel plate 40a is placed on top the lower platen 12. The adjustable hinge plate assembly of the present invention has been illustrated in conjunction with a cotton compress to show its utility in such an arrangement; however, it is understood that this hinge plate assembly has many other uses which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Thus, the adjustable hinge plate assembly of the present invention has the advantages set forth and attains the objects mentioned as well as others inherent therein.

While a single embodiment of the invention is given for the purpose of the disclosure, it is apparent that changes in details and arrangements of parts will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are included in the spirit, of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Also, that the principles of the invention may be applied to any compress known to the art.

It is, therefore, desired to be limited only by the spirit of the invention and the scope or" the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable hinge plate assembly comprising, a stationary hinge plate having laterally-extending inverted T-slots disposed in spaced parallel relation and a plurality of laterally-spaced sets of longitudinally-aligned grooves proximate the top of said hinge plate, said grooves comprising circular arcs, when viewed in crosssection, hinge brackets having inverted T-shaped projections slideable in said inverted T-slots and having longitudinally-aligned circular apertures proximate the top of said hinge plate, and a cylindrical locking bar extending through the apertures and seating in one set of grooves, said bar having a fiat portion between each hinge bracket whereby the locking bar may be rotated to permit sliding of the brackets to another of the sets of grooves and there rotated to lock said hinge brackets with respect to said hinge plate.

2. The adjustable hinge plate assembly of claim 1 including detent means in said hinge brackets and said locking bar releasably locking said locking bar from longitudinal or rotational movement with respect to the hinge brackets.

3. An adjustable hinge plate assembly comprising a stationary hinge plate having laterally extending inverted T-slots disposed in spaced parallel relation, said hinge plate also provided with a plurality of laterally-spaced sets of longitudinally-aligned semi-circular grooves in the top thereof, hinge brackets having inverted T-shaped' bases slidable in the inverted T-slots and aligned circular apertures proximate the top of the hinge plate, and a cylindrical locking bar extending through the apertures and seating in one set of the grooves, said bar having a flat portion between each hinge bracket whereby the locking bar may be rotated to slide the hinge brackets to another set of longitudinallyaligned grooves and there rotated to lock said hinge brackets to said hinge plate.

4. The improvement of claim 3 including detent means in said hinge brackets and said locking bar releasably locking said locking bar from longitudinal and rotational movement with respect to the hinge bracket.

5. An adjustable hinge plate assembly comprising, a stationary hinge plate provided with laterally extending inverted T-slots disposed in spaced parallel relation and a plurality of 1aterally-spaced sets of longitudinallyaligned recesses in the top of said hinge plate, the surfaces of the recesses comprising circular arcs, when viewed in cross-section, hinge brackets having inverted T-shaped projections slidable in said inverted T-slots and having longitudinally-aligned circular apertures proximate the top of the hinge plate, and a cylindrical locking bar extending through the apertures and seating in one set of aligned recesses, said bar having a flat portion between each hinge bracket whereby the locking bar may be rotated to slide the hinge brackets to another of the sets of longitudinally-aligned recesses and there rotated to lock said hinge brackets to said hinge plate.

6. The adjustable hinge plate assembly of claim 5 including detent means in said hinge brackets and said locking bar releasably locking the locking bar from lon- 6 gitudinal and rotational movement with respect to the hinge brackets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,233 Mitchell Mar. 24, 1914 1,200,879 Harrison Oct. 10, 1916 1,216,169 Rochester a- Feb. 13, 1917 1,806,978 Kilberg May 26, 1931 2,103,989 Machinist Dec. 28, 1937 

